Vincent “Vinny” DeMarco likes to tell the story of his upbringing in an Italian-Jewish neighborhood in New Jersey, where he gained entrance into an AZA function by saying he was Vinny DeMarcowitz. But when he recounted this recently while talking about gun-violence prevention at Bowie’s Temple Solel, he did not need to “Judaicize” his Italian moniker before his audience of about 40 congregants.

DeMarco, a Baltimore resident, is already well known to lawmakers and political activists for his work as a health advocate through Maryland Health Care for All: The Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative and as a proponent of using proceeds from tobacco taxes to curtail smoking. But the purpose of his talk earlier this month was not about health care but about gun violence and the legislation needed to prevent it.

...also on Jan. 14, B’nai B’rith’s International Executive Committee passed a formal resolution that called for a ban on assault weapons, as well as a limit on ammunition magazine capacity. The group also issued a statement praising President Obama for his plans to introduce a legislative package to reduce gun violence...more.